Posted In: Business Development
Legal Sales: Client Development and Landing the Big One
Fly fishing is a lot like selling legal services. On a recent fly-fishing trip to Montana as I patiently waited for a brown or rainbow to take a bite, I couldn’t help but think that fly fishing and selling have some similarities.
First: Focus on the right location; otherwise, you may expend a lot of energy but the yield will be little or nothing. Targeting is critical.
Second: Be patient. It takes time. Sure, you might get a hit or more the first few attempts but over the long haul, patience will be rewarded and good things take time.
Third: Change tactics. If some sales tactic isn’t working, try something else but don’t give up. If a great prospect works for someone else, move on but then circle back at some point later because it’s still a good prospect. And, in the process, you always learn more about what to do right and what will pay off.
Sure you snag a hook on a branch or two which is not unlike dealing with the pricing and other objections that snag the sales process. Hang with it though and deal with each sales issue as it comes up and success will happen. All in all I was rewarded with a few nice catches; but like selling, there was more casting than catching.
Landing the big one always takes time.
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